Vacuum system for use in connection with heating, refrigerating, evaporating, and other apparatus.



N. E. FROST. VACUUM SYSTEM FOR USE IN OONNEOTION WITH HEATING, REPRIGERATING, EVAPORATING,

AND OTHER APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 31, 1910.

1,012,837. Patented Dec.26, 1911. v

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N. B2 FROST. VACUUM SYSTEM FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH HEATING, REFRIGERATING, BVAPORATING,

AND OTHER APPARATUS. APPLICATION PILED'MA Y 31,1910- 1,012,837. Patented Dec.26,1911

2 sums-sum 2.

'11 i I I 15 and one or more pipes connecting them ina To allwhom ttmayconceim nnwmnn n. 'rnosr, or CHICAGO, InLInoIs.

vacnum'sys'rnm non USE IN connncrron wrr'n nvnronarme, AND ornnn Specification of Letters Intent.

gnu-into} ammonia arms,

Application filed m 31 1910. Serial 110,665,179,

Be it knownthat I, Nnw'LANn E. Fnos'r,

citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county-of Cook and State 5 of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vacuum Systems I for use in Connection with Heating, Refrigerating, Evaporating, and other Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

Socalled the art. riefl-y stated the heating system comprises a heater, one or more radiators circulating system, all of which ima'y be constructed and arranged in any of a number of different ways known inthe art, and

the vacuum system for aiding the circula-- '20 tionof the heat circulating medium of the heatingsystem consisting of a system of pipes communicating with theinteriors of several radiators and means for producing a partial vacuum in thevacuum system.

of apparatus of this class for producing and maintaining a artial vacuum within not only radiators ut the chambers of other devices or apparatus, such as refrigerators,

evaporators and the like "in' which the system includes a vacuum producer which has no relatively movable parts and therefore requires no attention or repairs, and which system operates automatically and at no expense whatever, excepting, in some rare instances in the use of the improved system, at a nominal expense, so that, with these trifling exceptions, the onlycost incident to the use of. the improved vacuum system is '40 the original expense of installing it.

There are, of course, many usesto'which a partial vacuum may be put, in the useful arts, and it is, therefore, to be understood that the exclusive right to use the invention for anyvpurpose for which it may be found 3 to be useful is reserved asbeingqwithin the scope of the invention. Among these-many uses may be mentioned the aiding of, the

insulation of heat and cold, A vacuum being a poor conductor of heat, this char-- I acteristic maybe availed 'of inthe construction ot the. msulatmg walls of refrigerators and other structures. The wallsiof refriger- "vacuum systems for aiding the heatin of buildings are well knownin- The present invention relates to a system" ators ai-e usually madedoublepsoasform within :them cells or chambers in which the insulating material is packed. By making these chambers airtight and maintaining a. artial vacuum within them their noncon-.

Hating efii'ciency will be-increased. Or it ma be used in evaporators-of various kinds. ne of the objects of the present inven- Patented Dec. 26, I911,

tion is toinsure an adequate and uniform vacuum producing force within the vacuumproducer, without regard to the. pressure of the water inthe primary water supply and to insure the uninterrupted operation of the vacuumproducer for a suflicient length of time, when once it isset in operation, to-- producethe necessary vacuum. Tothis end, each vacuum producer is supplied with water from a tank or receptacle, each: of

said tanks being elevated to such a level as to give the water the necessary headand provided'with an outlet of suflicient capac ity' to permit the discharge of the water in a'suflicient volume per unit of' time under the pressure of the atmosphere to form the vacuum, and means are providedfor starting the flow of water from the'tank and for thereafter preventing the flow from being interrupted until the tank has emptied itself. An outlet pipe communicates at its upper end with the bottomof the tank, and through the tank withv thelatmosphere, so that when the outlet opening of the tank, is

uncovered-thewater in the outlet pipe will be under atmospheric pressure, Incorporated in the outlet pipe and located below the level of the tank is a vacuum producer having a vacuum chamber which communicates with the interior of the outlet pipe and also with the interior of the chamber to be evacuated, the outlet pipe being of sufficient height to provide a ydrostatic column of sufficient helght to give it the necessary force to produce the desired degree of vacuum. It is, immaterial -'at what level the vacuum producer communicates with the outlet ipe because wherever it is located it is sub ected to a 'forceproportional to a which are above an below the producer.-"' a To these ends the invgntionconsists in the features ofnovelty that. are hereinafter de- 160 hydrostatic column of'the entire height of.

the pipe, including the ortions thereof scribed with reference to the accompanying drawings, .which are made a part of this specification, and in which:. I

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a complete system for both heating and refrigerating, embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section of a refrigerator whichmay be used as either a master refrigerator of a local refrigerator, or both, in a system embodying the invention. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a tank the emptying of which, for producing the partial vacuum, 1s

controlled b the degree of the vacuum in the system itself. Fig. i is a .section of a check valve closing inward or toward and opening outward or away from the vacuum system whereby it is closed by a pressure on" the outside of the system which is higher than the pressure within the system and opened by a reduction of the pressure on the outside of the system to less than that within the system. Fig. 5 is an axial section of-an ejector of modified form for producing' a partial vacuum within the system.

A is a heater, for: heating the circulating medium, which is shown in" the drawing as being a steam boiler, although it may be used as a water heater, when water is used systems. Where only a single opening is ,tion,

' as the circulating medium.

B and B are radiators all of which may be used in a steam heating system while the one shown at B may be used also in a hot-water heating system. They differ in construction only in that those lettered B have only a single opening at the bottom for both the inlet of the heatedcirculating medium and the outlet of the cooled circulating medium or. the water of condensaw ile that shown at B, has two openings at bottom, one for the inlet only ,and the other for the outlet only, this being the type of radiator usually used in hot-water used it communicates with one end of a pipe 0, the other end of which communicates directly with the top of the heater for conducting, the heated circulating medium to the radiator, and also communicates with the bottom of the heater through a smaller pipe a which branches I off from the pipe 0 for returning the water of condensation to the heater,' either directly or through "a return pipe ,0 which is common to a plurality ofradiators. Where the radlator has two ope vseparate direct pipe C, the other end of which communicates with the top of the heater, and the other communicates with oneend of a separate return pipe C, the other end of which communicates with the 1 bottom of the'heateras aforesaid.

, According to the present invention, one or more vacuum producers D, which may be of any' desired constructlon but which are ings at thefbottom one of them commumctes with one end of a.

preferably of the simplest possible construction is ,used. Preferably they consist of ordinary ejectors which have their vacuum or rarefying chambers placed in communication with the interiors of the radiators, or other chambers to be evacuated and the water for supplying each of these ejectors is taken 'from an elevated tank, the water for supplying the tank being taken from'any desired primary source that will give it the necessary quantity. v The ejector is incorporated at any convenient point in' the pipe through which the water dischargedfrom the tankflows. -It may be incorporatedin a waste pipe of one or moreof the fixtures-of the plumbing system of the building as shown at D, or in the pipe through which the water flows fr m the elevated tank to one or more of the fixtures of the plumbing system at intdrvals of greater or less frequency as shown at D", or in a pipe which extends from an elevated tank to a waste pipe and has no relation to any plumbing or similar fixture and whose sole function is to supply the ejector with the necessary current of water for producing the vacuum. In each ofthe 'first two instances the water is not diverted from its original purpose in the plumbing system is notsuificient, due to infrequency of their use, or to their temporary disuse, as, for instance, over night, or Sundays, or

holidays or other days when more or less vacuum is to be kept up, if the vacuum falls to the point of inadequacy for "giving the necessary aidvto girculation in'the heating system, this auxiliary'vacuum producer will operate. Or-thi's so called auxiliary vacuum producer may be used alone, as for example in buildin s which are already equipped with plumblng systems that are not provided with the vacuum producing feature, or even in buildings not yet construct ed when it is not desired to equip the several fixtures with vacuum producers, or where the apparatuses areof such a nature that they do not require a supply'of water. The

water for supplying the tank of this auxiliary vacuum producer may be taken from an original sourcewhich is independent of the plumbing s'ystemas'shown. at G. If this supply of water for the. auxiliary vacuum producer has'to be' pfiped up to the necessary level,.ma intain' g and ruiming the.

for doing so will entail a small cost and this cost will be the only additional expense incident to the use of the vacuum system, but, when the necessary supply of water for supplying the vacuum system can be had at the necessary level without cost of raising it thereto, the maintaining of the vacuum system will entail no additional expense and may advantageously be entirely separate from the plumbing system. In any event the supplying of water to the ejectors, andv consequently the operation of the ejectors, is intermittent, or periodical and at either regular or irregular intervals.

' Murphy and Atkinson. The tank shown at manually operable 'more plumbing This is accomplished by providing each tank with a suitable valve or equivalent device, which when conditioned to permit the flow from the tank to commence will permit it to continue until the entire contents of the tank is discharged. Furthermore the starting of the discharge may be done eithermanually or automatically, and if automatically it may be controlled by the level of the water in the tank or the pressure in the vacuum system. For instance, the elevated tank shownat E for intermittently supplying flushing water to one or fixtures F and the associated ejector is equipped with means, convention'- ally shown at e, for automatically dischargingthe contents of the tank when the water reaches a predetermined level therein and hence at practically regular intervals. An example of such an automatic periodically flushingtank is shown in Reissue Patent No., 11,215 granted December 29, 1891, to

E is equipped with means, conventionally shown at e for discharging the contents at will.- The elevated tank shown at E" will be discharged and operated automatithe ejector periodically by means. such cally, at irregular intervals, as shown in Fig. 3, is controlled by the state of the vacuum in the system. Here the water; supplied to the tank through a pipe, G,lead1ng from a source independent 'of the plumbing system (or, if desired, from the same source as supplies the plumbing system), is maintained normally at a given the tank by floatlevel in controlled valve H. The normal level is slightly below the overflow bend of the siphon I of the discharge pipe I, and thissiphon'is located in the main chamber I. It is closed save for two openings, 41 and c" which communicatewith an auxiliary or primin chamber 2' which is located above the main chamber and is of suflicient capacity to contain a-suflicient quantity of water to prime the siphon," when allowed to rapidly escape into the main chamber. The

opening 2' is surrounded by a short tube:

which extends upward into the priming chamber and determines its holding capacthe operation of which y, and when this level is reached the water overflows into the main chamber until the float therein rises and closes the valve of the supply pipe, G, which discharges into the priming, chamber. controlled by a buoyant valve K which is preferably spherical and remains normally seated, but which rises from its seat when an additional volume of water is emptied into the priming chamber. This additional volume of water will escape into the main chamber and further compress the air which is trapped against the under side of the float valve K in a tube K which surrounds the opening 71 and projects downward into the main chamber, thus producing upon the under side of the float valve K an upward pressure tending to unseat it. This tendency is augmented by the rising of the level of the water in the priming \chamber above normal and the two forces combined unseat the float valve and cause it to rise from its seat, uncover the opening 11 and permit the entire contents of the priming tank to rush into the main chamber and prime the siphon. The entire contents of the main chamber then passes down through the pipe I and operates the ejector'D.

The vacuum producing chambers, L, of all of the ejectors, being the open chambers of whatever construction in which the air is rarefied by the suction produced in them by the water rushing past them,.communi- 'cate with all of the radiators through a system of pipes M, and a storage tank N is preferably incorporated in this system. In each branch pipe of this system adjacent to each ejector isarranged a check valve 0 which seats inward, toward the system,

The opening z is tents of the tank E to be discharged and the vacuum will be restored to an effective state by the ejector D. This is done by carrying the open end M of the adjacent branch of the pipe M downward in a well which forms a part of the priming chamber Wand forms a stand-pipe of suflicient capacity to contain enough. water to prime the siphon when it is allowed to fall back into the priming chamber The opening at the top of this stand pipe, through which it communicates with the pipe M, is surrounded by a, valve-seat and within the stand-pipe is ?a buoyant: spherical valve P.

The vacuum in' the sys'tem, when normal,

. will draw water out of the priming chamher and lift it up in' the stand pipe until the valve P comes to its seat. Thereafter 1 should the vacuumfin the system fall below an eflicient state,-the water in the stand ipe will fall and allowthe valve P to leave 1ts seat and the entire column of water in' the stand pipe will fall back rapidly and vacuum in the system can notdraw water thereinto from the heater. The vacuum systen may also communicate through the medium of branch pipes M" with the insulating chambers Q of one or more refrigerators for aiding the efliciency thereof by maintaining a partial vacuum therein. 4 The pipe and adapted tocontain their own ice; or it may communicatev with the insulating chain-1 ber-of a refrigerator such as is shown in Figi' 40; 2 which may be used as both amaster reffrigerator and alocal refi'igera'to'r.

i :inconstruction only ,in that in" the form" may communicate with the insulating chamber of a refrigerator which is adapted to contain its own ice, as'shown at Q, and may be used as a master refrigerator only, having a coilg connected by pipes with the cooling coils g of any desired number of local re frigerators; or it may communicatewith the insulating chambers .ofa number of local refrigerators constructed as shown inFig. 2

' Theieject'ors of the two forms shown differ shown 5 'in fFig. '5 the vacuum producing chamber is formedsby a-web which is inte- ,;(-gral with the;mainxbody or shell of the ejector and-"is soflocated within it that it covers'the opening with which the vacuum plpe' communicates and extends downward and therefrom, while in the form shown in Fig. 3'the vacuum producing chamber is of,

' I tubular cross section, and is concentric with theshell of the ejectorexcepting at its upper portionwhere it bends and joins the shell around the opening withwhich the vacuum pipe communicates.

' What r-elaimas new and desire to secure by-Letters vla'tgnt is:

1., Thepcombm tion-with a device having a chamberito be; evacuated, of an automatic.

. vacuum system for producing and maintainmg a partial vacuum in sald chamber, the

sald vacuum systemhaving an elevated tank or.rec eptacle an outlet pipe extending downward from th the storage tank N- e tank or receptacle to providea hydrostatic column, the upper end. of said pipe being open to atmospheric pressure, a vacuum producer having a vacuum chamber commumcating with the outlet pipe at a level below the tank or receptacle and a pipecommunicating with said vacuum chamber and the chamber to be evacuated.

2. The combination with a device having a I chamber to be evacuated, of an automatic vacuum system for producing and maintaining a partial vacuum in said chamber, said vacuum system having an elevated tank or receptacle, an outlet pipe extending downward from the tank orreceptacle to provide a hydrostatic column, the upper end'of said pipe being open to atmospheric pressure,

meansrfo'r' supplying the tank with water, means for starting the flow of water through said pipe, means for thereafter preventing the stopping ofrsaid flow until the water in the tank falls'to a predetermined level,'a vacuum prod'ucer'having a vacuum chamber communicating with the outlet pipe afore-- said at a level below the-tank, and a pipe communicating with said vacuum chamber and the chamber to be evacuated.

3. The combination with a device having a chamber tobeeva'cuated, of an automatic vacuum system for producing and maintaiuing apartial vacuum in said chamber,,said

vacuum system-having an elevated tank or receptacle, an outlet pipe extending downward from thetank or receptacle to provide a'hydrostatic column, the upper end of said pipe being open to atmospheric pressure, means for starting the flow of water through said pipe, means for thereafter preventing the stopping of said flow until the water in "the 'tank falls to a predetermined level, means for thereafter starting the flow of water, a

-vacuum producer having a vacuum chamber communicating with the outlet pipe at a level .below the tank, and apipe communieating with said" vacuum chamber and with v the chamber'to be evacuated; 4. The'combina'tion with a device having a chamber to be evacuated, of an automatic vacuum system for producing and maintaining'a'partial vacuum in said chamber, said vacuum system,having an elevated tank or receptacle, an outlet pipe: extending downward from the tank or receptacle to provide a hydrostatic column, the up er end of said.

pipebeing open to atmosp eric pressure, means for jsup lying the tank with water, means for starting the flow of water through said pipe, means for thereafter preventing 'the stopping of said'flow until the water falls to a predetermined level' in said. tank,-

automatic means for thereafter again start;

ingthe flow of water, a vacuum producer .havmg a vacuum chamber commumcating with the outlet pipe at a level below the tank, and a pipe communicating with said vacuum chamber and the chamber to be evacuated.

' vacuum system, for producing and maintaining a partial vacuum in said chamber,

said vacuum system having an elevated tank or receptacle, an outlet pipe extending downward from said tank or recept cle to provide a hydrostatic column, the up er end of said' pipe beingv open to atmosphericpressure, means of supplying. the pipe with water,

-- means for causing water to flow through said pipe, a vacuum producer having a vacuum chamber communlcating with said pipe at a level below the tank or receptacle, and

. I ated.

a pipe "communicating with said vacuum chamber and with the chamber to be evacu 6. The combinationwith a device having a chamber to be evacuated, of an automatic vacuum system for producing and main-- taining a partial vacuum-insaid chamber, sald vacuum system havlng an elevated tank or receptacle, an outletpipe, extending downward from the tank .or receptacle to provide a hydrostatic column the upper end of ,said pipe being. open to atmospheric pressure, means for supplying the tank 7 with water, means for starting the flow of .Water through saidgpipe, means fohth'ereafter preventing the stopping of said flow until the water in the tank'falls to a predetermined level, a vacuum producer having a vacuum chamber communicating with the-outlet pipe at a level below the tank, a

pipe communicating with said Vacuum,

chamber and the chamber to be evacuated, and automatic means for thereafter again starting the flow of water, said automatic means being under the control of the pressure in the vacuum system. I

' 7. The combination ,with a plurality of devices having chambers 'to be evacuated.

and a plumbing system having a plurality of elevated tanks orreceptacles, means for. supplying them with water, outlet ipes ex tending downward from said tan s or receptacles', respectively, to [provide hydrorality' of said chambersrto be evacuated,

"static columns, means for causing water'to flow through said-outlet pipes, and a vacuum system for producing and maintaining a partial vacuum in the chambers to. be

' T evacuated, said .vac'uum system'ha'ving' a.

number of vacuum chambers communlcating with the outlet pipes, respectively, at levels below the tanks or receptacles,-and a number of'pipes' communicatmg wlth one of said vacuum chambers and with a pluwhereby aflow ,ofwater through any of said outlet pipes will reduce a partial vacuum in a plurality .0 said chambers to be evacuated. f r

- '8,The.combinationi with a. plurality of devices having chambers to' be evacuatedandia plumbing system having a number of fixtures ahd 'a. number of elevated flushter'through said pipes, o a'vacuu'ni system for producing and maintaining" a partial vacuum in. the chambers to be evacuated,

said vacuum system having a, number of vacuum producers having vacuum producing chambers communicating with the dis charge pipes at levels below the tanks, and pipes connecting a plurality of said vacuum producing chambers with the chambers to be evacuated, and an auxiliary vacuum-producer'having a vacuum chamber, an 1 elevated tank or receptacle, an outlet pipe extending downward therefrom and with which the vacuum chamber communicates below the level of the tank or receptacle, a pipe communicating with said vacuum chamber and with, the chambers to beevacua'ted, and means controlled by the pressure in the vacuum system for starting the flow of'water through the auxiliary vacuum producer. t

9. The combination with devices having chambers to be evacuated and a plumbing system having a number of fixtures, a number of elevated flushing tanks, outlet pipes extending downward from the tanks for supplying the fiitures a pluralit of with water, said outlet pipes being adapted to provide hydrostatic columns, being open at their upper ends to atmospheric pressure, and means for causing water to flow through the outlet pipe of any given tank, of a vacuum system having vacuum chambers communicating with the outlet pipes below the/tanks, and pipes connecting said vacuum chambers with the chambers to be evacuated, and an auxiliary'vacuum'kprd ducer having an elevated tank, an outlet pipe extendmg' downward therefrom and Providing for a hydrostatic column, 'fifi r um producer having a vacuum chamber communicating with said outlet pipeat a level below the tank, a pipe communicating with said vacuum chamber and. with the chambers to be evacuated means for start-1 ing and stopping the flow of water through the outlet pipe, said starting and stopping -means being'controlled by the pressure in the vacuum system.-

101 The combination with a d evic'e hav-' ing a chamber to be evacuated,- of a vacuum system. for producingand "maintaining a artial vacuum therein, said. system having 111 combination a vacuum producer, consisting of an ejector having avacuum chamber, a pipe "communicating with the chamber to be evacuated, and with the .vacuunr chamber, an elevated tank, an outlet pipe extendin downward from said tank and communicating with.the vacuum chamber of the ejector, means for supplying the tank with water, means for automatically stopping said supply when the water in the tank rises to a predetermined level, means i 7 controlled by the pressure of the vacuum in the system for starting the flow of water Irom the tank and means for thereafter preventing the interruption of said flow until the Water in the tank falls to a predeter mined lower level.

' NEWLAND E. FROST. Witnesses: I

L. M. HOPKINS, A. ARENSON. 

